


Five conversations about the Millennium Falcon

by OtterAndTerrier



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: 5 Things, F/M, Gen, Good Parent Han Solo, Millennium Falcon - Freeform, not exactly EU compliant, yes I tagged the Falcon as a relationship with Han what about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25571407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtterAndTerrier/pseuds/OtterAndTerrier
Summary: A home can be a cobbled-together YT-1300 light freighter with a tendency to malfunction.
Relationships: Han Solo & Jaina Solo, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Millennium Falcon & Han Solo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 50
Collections: HanLeia Challenge





	Five conversations about the Millennium Falcon

**Author's Note:**

> Written for **[hanleiachallenge](https://hanleiachallenge.tumblr.com/)** 's July prompt, "Millennium Falcon". Many thanks to **lajulie** for reading this first!
> 
> Although there is an Organa-Solo daughter named Jaina, this fic is not EU compliant.

**I.**

Han nearly ran into the princess as he walked out of the engine room. Maybe it was the fact that his head had been somewhere else, or that he hadn’t heard her come on board; maybe it was just that he didn’t expect to see her there. Either way, he nearly jumped out of his skin at her sudden appearance.

‘Kriff!’

‘Is it true you’re indebted to a Hutt, or did you just tell Luke that to get him off your back about staying?’ Leia asked, unfazed.

‘Good mornin’ to you too, Highness,’ Han grunted, pushing past her towards the engineering station.

‘Well?’ she insisted.

He checked the data monitor and readjusted the ventilation controls. That should do it.

‘Yeah, it’s true. I’m no liar. Will that be all?’

Even though he couldn’t see her, it wasn’t hard to picture her rolling her eyes behind his back.

‘What happened?’

‘Got boarded, had to throw away the cargo,’ he answered in a bored voice, still looking at the flashing indicators. ‘Anything else?’

‘I thought you were  _ the best smuggler around _ ,’ Leia said.

That was it. He’d risked his neck out there with Vader and the Death Star for her rebellion, hightailed it off Yavin with them, hung around for—well, who the hell knew what he was still hanging around for, and yet she sneaked into his ship to stand there and question him about what he had or hadn’t done.

He turned around, scowling, and pointed a finger at her. ‘Listen, sweetheart—’

‘Don’t  _ sweetheart _ me—’

‘—I’m kinda busy at the moment so if you’re here to gloat or somethin’—’

‘No!’ Leia held up her hands in an appeasing gesture. Her cheeks turned slightly pink, like she was suddenly embarrassed of herself, Han guessed. ‘I’m sorry, this came out wrong. I just wondered how that happened.’

Han narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Why?’

‘We have a smuggling job, but—’

‘You wanna know if I stink at what I do,’ Han said moodily. Who said he wanted to take their job? Right, like he could afford to be picky about it. He sighed. ‘I was comin’ back from Kessel and there was a patrol. I went close to the Maw to avoid it but it got too dangerous, I had to get away. No choice but to let them board me, so I ditched the spice before they did. But it wasn’t  _ all _ of it!’

‘So the patrol got the rest.’

‘’Course not.’ Han walked past her again, crouched down and pulled up the plating to reveal the secret compartments under deck. ‘Scanner-proof. Imps didn’t have a clue. ‘Course it wasn’t enough for Jabba, but I’d  _ told _ the greedy slug to let me do it in two trips, so it was his fault, really.’

‘I see,’ Leia said. Her expression was controlled as she looked down at the open compartment, but Han could see the infinite possibilities running through her mind. He snapped the plating shut and stood up.

‘Am I good enough for you now, sister?’

Leia’s lips turned up in a half smile, hands on her hips, as she gave him an appraising look.

‘For a derelict bucket of bolts, I think it’ll do.’

**II.**

The welding and human cursing that came out of the cockpit made Leia’s heart ache, her mind spinning with impossibility. It felt familiar and wrong at the same time: she had been welcomed to the  _ Falcon _ many times by a sound mix of tools cutting, fusing and bolting metal together, and colourful language, at the end of which she inevitably found Han.

Except the cursing now was not Corellian, didn’t even have a trace of the accent. Han wasn’t there; her rational brain knew that. He was far away in a bounty hunter’s ship, frozen in time and carbonite.

Still, she walked on. Lando Calrissian was scowling at the aft bulkhead above the hatch, torch in one hand, several other tools spread on the floor.

‘What are you doing?’ Leia asked, her mouth suddenly dry.

‘Oh, hello Leia,’ Lando said casually, his put-out expression changing into affability as he pushed the protective goggles up. ‘Ah, I’m just seeing if I can get this old thing to work just right.’

It had been a few days since they had arrived to  _ Home One _ ; Leia had accepted his apologies and explanations, had vouched for him in front of High Command, had looked the other way when she saw him wearing one of Han’s shirts and sleeping in his bunk. She didn’t hate the man. She didn’t. But it still hurt to see him standing there instead of Han. It should be Han.

‘Did Chewie ask you to?’

‘No, but I thought—’

‘Then don’t. Please,’ Leia added, looking him in the eyes, hoping he would get it. 

Lando hesitated, then nodded in understanding.

‘I just thought she should be in her best shape before we set off to track Han,’ he explained, ‘and this panel ain’t lighting up.’

Leia kicked the toolbox at her feet shut and pushed it closer to the hatch; then, she stepped on it and banged the bulkhead. The power systems indicators lit up.

‘There,’ she said.

‘Of course.’ Lando sighed, looking around. ‘What’s he done to you, old girl?’

‘Whatever he damned wanted, since it’s his ship,’ Leia told him, a little more sharply than she should have, but Lando’s constant muttering about the  _ Falcon _ as if it was still  _ his _ felt like rubbing salt on a wound. She had no idea where this possessiveness over the freighter was coming from all of the sudden. It was just a ship. She had no emotional attachments towards vehicles of any kind. If she felt comfortable and safe at the  _ Falcon _ , it was because of Han and Chewbacca. And yet, over the past few weeks, it had been all she’d known. It had been the place where she’d finally felt happy, truly happy, for the first time in years.

Lando held up his hands in apology, which made her feel like even more of a jerk.

‘Fair point.’ He bent over to pick up the scattered tools as Leia stepped down from the toolbox. ‘You know, it’s a good ship and I regret ever losing her, but Han—not that it shows much, mind ya, but I think he loves her more than I ever did. Don’t tell him I said that, though, will you—’

‘Excuse me,’ Leia muttered, turning around and leaving the cockpit as fast as her feet would take her without breaking into a run. She didn’t stop walking until she reached the crew quarters and, once there, she closed the hatch behind her and leaned against it, her breathing quick and shallow in her chest, her hands trying to clutch at the cold metal. A couple of tears escaped from the corner of her tightly shut eyes, but there was no one there to hold her.

**III.**

He had expected to meet Leia in her quarters at  _ Home One  _ after work, to spend the night there as they’d done regularly after coming back from Tatooine, a matter of practicality as well as privacy. Her bed there was bigger than his bunk, and Chewie, Luke or Lando were around on the  _ Falcon _ most of the time. Han usually didn’t mind, but sometimes it felt too crowded. He wanted to tell them  _ This ain’t a bar, go hang out somewhere else! _ But the rest of him could never bring himself to kick them out.

He had just stepped inside her empty cabin when his comlink beeped: Leia was waiting for him at the  _ Falcon _ , had hoped to catch him there before he left to find her.

She was lying on her back on his bunk, fully dressed and on top of the blankets, lost in thought, but she turned her head on the pillow to look at him when he walked in.

‘Hi,’ she said. ‘Sorry you went all the way there and back.’

‘Hey.’ Han crossed the cabin and smiled down at her. ‘’S okay. Whatcha doing there?’

‘Waiting for you.’

Leia grabbed his arm and tugged slightly until he sat down next to her. She half sat up, leaning back on her elbows. Even though she was smiling, Han could tell something was on her mind.

‘What’s with the change of scenery?’ Han asked, laying a hand on her knee and rubbing his thumb against it. ‘Tough day?’

She sighed through her nose, picking a bit of lint off his pants for something to do.

‘Not particularly. But I felt especially homesick all day. I don’t know why.’ She scooted back towards the bulkhead as Han lay down next to her and wrapped an arm across her back. ‘I needed to feel at home, so I came here. Do you mind?’

She needed to feel at home… and she’d come to the  _ Falcon _ , the place where he’d most felt at home in all his life. He grinned at her, feeling a mix of awed and humbled. She’d grown up in a palace, seen the best places the galaxy had to offer, but it was his battered ship, the one she had insulted more times he’d kept track of, the place she felt at home, too. With him.

‘Do I  _ mind _ ?’ Han asked incredulously, shaking his head.

Leia entangled one of her legs with his, pulling herself closer against his chest, her hands resting on his shoulders.

‘Don’t look so shocked about it,’ she whispered, smiling at him.

‘Who’s shocked? But I am gonna remember you said that, princess, next time you wanna complain about this hunk of—’

Her lips pressed against his in a soft, slow kiss, cutting off the rest of his words. He didn’t mind.

**IV.**

Leia stood silently at the edge of the main hold, watching. She hadn't meant to creep in on him, but the sight of her husband sprawled on the floor as he sorted through an assortment of pieces was disconcerting.

'What are you doing?' she finally asked, making him turn around so abruptly, he seemed to hurt his neck.

'Leia, what are you doin' here?' Han said as he jumped to his feet. 'You got off work early? Are you feelin' okay?'

'I'm fine, Han, but it's past seven. I got off work two hours ago.'

Han frowned.

'What? That can't be right.'

'Why would I lie?' Leia said, rolling her eyes. 'If you check your chrono, I swear…'

Han held up his hands as he walked up to her. 'Fine, I believe you.'

He gave her a peck on the lips and rubbed a hand over her round belly in greeting.

'What are you working on that made you lose track of time?'

Suddenly, he seemed to remember what he had been doing and, judging from his sheepish expression, Leia had a pretty good guess she wasn't supposed to have caught him at it.

'Ah sweetheart, it was meant to be a surprise, but I ain't nowhere near done.'

'A surprise on the  _ Falcon _ … the last time that happened, you'd built the galley for me.'

'No, the last time that happened,  _ this _ happened,' Han drawled, grinning devilishly at her and nodding at her stomach. Leia swatted at his shoulder, trying not to smile. 'Alright, alright, I'll show ya.'

He crossed the hold towards the med bunk; he’d moved it there after installing a small galley in their cabin before their wedding. Before then, that place had been occupied by the few food-related applianced he owned, but it functioned as a modest medbay now. Leia noticed some more scattered parts and tools on the bunk, then looked up as Han punched a shiny new button on the bulkhead. A small table slid out halfway with a rattle.

‘Dammit. See, not finished yet.’

‘But what is it for?’ Leia asked, tilting her head. ‘A shelf for the medical supplies?’

‘No, no, it’s a changing table!’

Leia widened her eyes. That was definitely a surprise. She turned to Han, who was beaming.

‘Han, that’s—I hadn’t even thought about that. We could have just used a bunk, or the Dejarik table…’

Have waved a hand. 

‘They’re too low. And there’s gonna be a bin for the dirty diapers right there, a crate with diapers and powder and all that stuff we’ll need.’ He gave the table a firm pat. ‘Still got to make it come all the way out, but it’s sturdy. So what’d’you think?’

‘I think it’s wonderful,’ Leia said, grabbing his hand and giving it a little squeeze.

Han’s smile grew wider.

‘And I’m also patching up the bits of exposed wiring, you know,’ he added, pointing at a newly covered section that had been prone to catching fire for as long as Leia had known Han. ‘No more safety hazards.’

Leia smirked.

‘I don’t know if I can believe that.’ 

Han let out a laugh, but then looked at her in earnest. ‘Look, I know the  _ Falcon _ ain’t a great place for a kid, and you’d want us to fly in any other small, modern ship until she’s grown a bit,’ he said, referencing a discussion they’d indirectly had a while back. ‘But—this is our home too, yeah? I want her to grow up here. And I want it to be safe here for her.’

Leia put her arms around his neck. Of course their child would be safe there. She’d probably be born with a hydrospanner in her hand.

‘You’ve made a strong case, hotshot. Come on, let’s go home now. There’s still plenty of time.’

**V.**

‘Dad, I like helping you and all… but why do we bother maintaining the weapons? It’s not like you have any chance to use them nowadays, right?’

Han glanced at his daughter over his shoulder: she was crouching on the floor as she oiled the control pedals for the quad laser cannons. Just like Leia, she’d never minded getting her hands dirty.

‘’Cos you don’t wanna find out they needed maintenance when you’re in the middle of a firefight,’ he said, raising his eyebrows at Jaina.

‘Right, but why do you think you might get caught in a firefight in the first place?’

Han shrugged. ‘Been in enough o’ them to know it can happen.’

‘... All right, then.’

She didn’t look very convinced by that explanation, but Han didn’t have any other. He turned back to the access panel as Jaina picked up a hydrospanner.

‘How come you’ve never replaced the  _ Falcon _ ?’

At first he thought he’d heard her wrong—but he wasn’t  _ that _ old. He wanted to believe he’d heard her wrong.

‘Replace what of the  _ Falcon _ ?’ he tried.

‘No, I mean, like, replace the  _ Falcon _ with another freighter as your main ship. It’s not like we can’t afford it.’

Han sputtered, trying to reign in his outrage.

‘ _ Replace the Falcon? _ What’re you gonna say next, I should replace your mother?’

Jaina stopped working and sat back on a step, looking at him like he was crazy.

‘No! I should hope not!’ His daughter shook her head in disbelief. ‘How can you compare mom with a ship?’

‘Jaina, sweetheart, this ain’t just a ship. I’ve had her longer than I’ve known your mother! I’ve spent more of my life having the  _ Falcon _ than not. It’s full of my memories, y’know? Kissed your mother for the first time here. You walked for the first time here, with me....’

‘I know, it’s our second home and all that,’ Jaina said, rolling her eyes at the sappiness. ‘I like it here, don’t get me wrong. But, like, people change houses, too—even  _ we _ have.’

‘See, but she’s not quite like just a house to me, either.’ He closed the panel and turned around, leaning back against the viewport. ‘You think I’m jokin’. I ain’t known any other ship like I know her. She’s more like… like one of my kids.’

‘So if you ever had to choose between saving my life or saving the  _ Falcon _ —’

Han huffed and reached out to tousle her hair, which she pretended to hate.

‘Oh, is that what this is about, jealousy? Of course I’d choose you. Without a second thought. But I’d still be sad.’ Han looked out the viewport at the busy hangar, thinking. ‘You an’ your mom got the Force; I got the  _ Falcon _ . Losing her, it’d be like losing a piece of myself.’

Jaina looked pensive for a minute too.

‘I think I can understand that.’

‘Yeah. So, see, she’ll have to die with me—or if I go first, she’ll be yours. And after that she’ll go to Chewie, who’s probably gonna outlive us all.’

Jaina immediately perked up.

‘I’m getting the  _ Falcon _ ? Does that mean you’re finally going to teach me how to fly it?’

‘Now, wait a minute there, I said not ‘til I die,’ Han told her, pushing himself off the viewport and heading towards the hatch. ‘And you know your mother an’ I agreed you could learn to drive a speeder at sixteen and the  _ Falcon _ at eighteen.’

The young girl pointed the hydrospanner at her father in accusation. Now  _ that _ was all Han.

‘I am sixteen and a half now. You saw how well I did with my speeder test, I hoped you’d reconsider!’

‘Tough luck, lady,’ Han told her with a smirk as he began to climb down the ladder.

‘I’m not asking you to teach me to pilot it, just let me help you co-pilot!’ Jaina cried from above.

‘A minute ago you wanted me to replace her, now you want to pilot her?’ Han snorted, offering her his hand as she reached the end of the ladder behind him and jumped off into the corridor.

‘A minute ago you compared mom to the  _ Falcon _ ,’ Jaina reminded him, giving him a sly look and a devious smile. ‘You wouldn’t want her to find out...’

Han laughed as he put an arm around her shoulders and led her out.

‘Kid, you think she doesn’t already know?’

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are much appreciated!


End file.
